Trio of incumbents recapture Wilmington City Council seats

Tuesday

Nov 5, 2013 at 3:18 PMNov 5, 2013 at 11:28 PM

It was close, but all three incumbents on the Wilmington City Council were re-elected

By Julian March Julian.March@StarNewsOnline.com

It was close, but all three incumbents on the Wilmington City Council were re-elected Tuesday, signaling a majority of the city's voters approve of the council's job.An unopposed Mayor Bill Saffo was also re-elected Tuesday in a race that was centered more on the contested council seats. Early on Tuesday night, it appeared incumbents Kevin O'Grady and Charlie Rivenbark would hold onto their seats. As the results trickled in, it became clear the third seat would go to either Skip Watkins or incumbent Earl Sheridan.Ultimately, Sheridan topped Watkins by more than 400 votes, according to unofficial results.Sheridan admitted he was concerned about the close race as he sat in city hall watching the results come in. But when the final results showed he pulled ahead, supporters applauded. "It means another four years to try to do some things for our city," Sheridan said, adding he wanted to address violence, jobs and housing in his third term. A Wilmington native, Sheridan is a longtime political science professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.Watkins, a financial adviser who said he wanted to bring fresh ideas to the council, said he had a good showing for an unknown fighting against three incumbents."Obviously, we're disappointed," Watkins said, yet he added he would be back on the ballot in 2015."I just thank the voters who did vote for us," Watkins said. "Next time, we just need to get a little bit more."Saffo, who was appointed mayor in July 2006 and handily re-elected in 2007, 2009 and 2011, ran unopposed for the first time this cycle."I'm looking forward to working with the new council," the mayor said. He said top issues the council will tackle are economic growth, pay for city workers and continuing to work on a hotel next to the convention center. He also foreshadowed city involvement in the state's film incentive, which is set to expire in 2014. "It's a big economic driver for our city and our region," he said.O'Grady, a retired attorney who won a second term, said he wanted to continue making government work."Local government doesn't have to be flashy, it just has to be efficient," he said. O'Grady, who was the top vote-getter of the council candidates, said his top priority will be getting green space on the river.Rivenbark, a Wilmington native and commercial real estate broker, said he was elated to win a fourth term."I feel like the citizens that voted kind of feel like maybe we're doing OK," Rivenbark said. He added the council members need to roll up their sleeves and get a handle on the crime.Two other first-time candidates, Derek Bickel and Felix Cooper, were also unsuccessful in their council bids.Bickel, director of operations for IT company Infranet Technologies, said he wanted to be a fresh voice. Cooper is a former New Hanover County manager who is now retired in Wilmington. The election results are unofficial until a canvas on Nov. 12.